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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · season · plane · wind · toast · date · tube · bulb

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tube — a container
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. toast — bread
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com